Marching to the Heat of a Different Drum

Since 2017, hundreds of members from marching bands across the U.S. have required treatment for heat illness. These illnesses have occurred in a multitude of traditional band settings, including parades, competitions, and daily rehearsals. The visual design component of today’s marching band shows, influenced by competitive drum and bugle corps (Drum Corps International, DCI), places high physical demands on the individual performer. As such, the upward trend in cases of heat illness in the marching arts is consistent with the more notable and highly publicized trends of heat illness in both intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics, especially football. The increases in instances of heat illness in these popular activity sectors also align with recent increases in the magnitude and duration of heat waves across the U.S.

Marching band is a physical activity that has not been a prominent subject in sports medicine research and practice. This presentation will look at historical trends of heat illness in the marching arts, review the available body of research in the marching arts as it pertains to heat illness, and provide estimates of the expected increase in marching arts’ heat illness cases due to anticipated increases in heat waves going forward.

This presentation will also report on field work taking place at the University of Oklahoma (The Pride of Oklahoma), the University of Kansas (Marching Jayhawks), and the University of South Carolina (Carolina Band) that involves wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) monitoring capabilities at rehearsals and performances as a means to assess heat risk in the marching arts. A WBGT work/rest/hydration guidance chart designed specifically for marching bands will be presented, along with heat mitigation protocols designed to ensure the health of the increasing number of American youths participating in the marching arts.